1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a brazing fixture for receiving an article to be brazed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a brazing fixture for receiving heat exchanger cores therein.
2. Background Information
Typical heat exchanger cores are manufactured by assembling a plurality of tubes interleaved with fins between a pair of side support members. The core is precompressed by tightening a steel band around the core before brazing. The core assembly is then inserted into a furnace and heated until it brazes together. Following the brazing process, the steel band is cut off and discarded.
During the brazing process, the core shrinks and the steel band becomes loose, no longer applying the necessary compressive force to hold the core together during brazing. This can result in deleterious effects upon the heat exchanger core. Moreover, the process of securing the steel band around the core prior to brazing, removing the band after brazing, and scrapping it is a labor and material intensive process resulting in large amounts of scrap material. It would be advantageous to provide a brazing process to eliminate the steel banding of the heat exchanger core.